1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to articles of clothing and more specifically to a safety garment for industrial or construction workers and hunters.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous articles of clothing have been devised for enhancing the safety of their wearers. Over the years, some of the most significant advances in the art have involved safety devices directly incorporated into a piece of clothing. However, none of the techniques described hereinbelow results in a garment, which incorporates a safety harness, which allows workers or hunters to reliably secure themselves to a support structure or, in the case of a hunter, a tree, particularly when the hunter is positioned at some height above the ground. Moreover, none of the references herein described presents a garment having provision for removable leg loop/crotch straps and/or providing a selectively removable and reversible liner in a garment enabling workers or hunters to be able to quickly put on the requisite safety gear when on the job or in the field.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,046, describes a safety jacket and harness system, including a body harness formed by a pair of torso bands and a pair of shoulder straps. The torso bands form an upper torso band and a lower torso band. Each torso band has a fastening member attached to end portions. The pair of shoulder straps each has a first shoulder strap portion and a second shoulder strap portion. Each shoulder strap portion is coupled together by a fastening member. Included is a center strap that is fixedly attached to the torso bands and has a locking member at a top end. A safety strap has a first safety strap end that can couple with the locking member of the center strap, and a second safety strap end that can be looped and fastened around a tree trunk. An attachment strap is attached to the safety strap. A jacket receives the body harness when worn by a hunter using a tree stand with the center strap of the harness coupled to the attachment strap looped around the trunk. Similarly, in the case of an industrial or construction worker the attachment strap is attached to the safety strap and a structure such as a beam.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,547, issued Oct. 28, 2003, to Wydner describes a safety hunting harness and garment, the garment being disclosed as a harness sewn into a vest having a safety strap disposed vertically within the vest back having attachment rings at its upper and lower ends and having shoulder straps and waist and upper torso straps held by the safety strap and the shoulder straps within loops therein allowing adjustment of the waist and upper torso straps during fastening of buckles thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,631, issued Aug. 15, 2000, to Ferguson, Jr., describes a full-body harness system which is located between an outer shell and an inner liner and having a back located D-ring extending from the outer shell for attachment to a safety line, the D-ring being covered when not in use by a flap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,517, issued to Jordan, describes a harness assembly having an integral support line. The harness assembly includes a harness body having first and second ends that extend from the harness body. The harness is secured within a garment. The garment has a front opening, which is normally covered by a releasable flap. The first and second ends of the support line extend through the front opening and are accessible when the flap is moved to an open position. The first end of the support line may be pulled away from the harness to extend the support line therefrom. The second end of the support line is secured to the harness.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,782, issued Oct. 10, 2000, to Young et al. describes a combination clothing/safety harness. The safety harness may be attached to various articles of clothing, such as a jacket, vest, overalls, or coveralls, so that donning the article of clothing automatically positions the harness for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,440, issued to Woodyard, discloses a safety vest which incorporates a safety harness between a vest inner lining and a vest outer shell with attachment couplers and rings incorporated in the vest in vest pockets that store the attachment couplers and rings out of sight in communicating between the harness and a lanyard external to the vest.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,153, issued to E. J. Hoagland et al., describes a safety suit for supporting a person's body in an upright manner during hoisting, including a garment arranged to extend around the torso of a body and a plurality of annularly extending straps defining body embracing nooses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,877, issued to Gallinati, describes a vest adapted to be worn by a workman operating at perilous heights. The vest has straps between the lining and the outer fabric. The straps have crossed sections in the back of the garment and vertical sections in the front panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,216, issued to Weissmann, describes a safety jacket adapted to have a line secured thereto for anchoring the wearer of the jacket in the event he loses his footing. The jacket includes a harness having a pair of shoulder straps and a belt made of polypropylene, which is threaded through loops at the ends of the shoulder straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,847, issued to Miles, describes body protective clothing to be worn over or in place of outer garments for protection while actively participating in various sports. A zippered vest-type garment including a resilient foam insert along the lower portion of the torso includes adjustable front closure straps for maintaining the position of the foam about the lower back and hip bones.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,882, issued to Ekman, describes a garment that is connectable to a safety line or the like and which includes at least one band, which is intended to take up the weight of a person wearing the garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,724, issued to Grilliot et al., relates to a firefighter's trousers and safety harness combination. At least a portion of the safety harness is positioned and supported within the firefighter's trousers.
British Patent No. 1,233,761 shows a safety harness having integral seat and jacket portions, the seat portion including couplers whereby the harness can be suspended from wires or ropes and the jacket portion including sufficient buoyancy to keep the wearer of the harness afloat if dropped into water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,027, issued Sep. 8, 1992, to Petzl et al. describes a sit safety harness with high loops in the form of closed loops fitted on a belt with a central clasp.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,590, issued Mar. 1, 1994, to Larson, describes a combined work trousers and safety harness having leg loops.
U.S. Pat. No. RE 37,394 E, issued Oct. 2, 2001, to Woodyard describes a safety vest incorporating a safety harness with leg loops.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,379, issued Jun. 12, 2001, to Larson, describes an automatically adjustable safety harness having leg loops.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,704, issued Sep. 24, 1993, to Olsson, describes a climbing loop clipped to harness rings on a harness worn by a climber.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,651, issued Feb. 20, 2001, to Sadeck, describes a harness having a belt and leg loops.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,134, issued Jan. 28, 1969, to Rosenblum, describes a safety harness having leg loops.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.